"Samplers do increase in value. Going thru the roof no, but a Series IIx will cost you twice what it cost a few years back"

Well the IIx's that I have seen (in private sales)have been around the £2000 - £2500 mark since I nearly bought one in 1993.

I should have been more specific in my original statement, I should have said that they never increase in value from their original price. i.e. Fairlight IIx £20,000, E-Mu SP1200 £2199, E-mu EIII kbd £10,000, Sequential Studio 440 £3599 and so on. Unlike some analogue synths.

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Monday-Aug-20-2001 at 06:09

Andy
a professional user
writes:

It's still the best sounding sampler and will probably be that for years to come! People who got rid of it thinking is an obsolete technology, they will be (and probably already are) kicking themselves in their behind! The Fairlight are becoming more and more hard to get. I'll never part with mine!

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Monday-Aug-20-2001 at 00:23

David Morley
a professional user
from Germany
writes:

Samplers do increase in value. Going thru the roof no, but a Series IIx will cost you twice what it cost a few years back and a Series III will hold it´s value nicely. It´ll also enable you to do some great music very efficiently and with a sonic quality which is still, in my opinion, the most musical around as far as samplers are concerned.

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Thursday-Aug-09-2001 at 16:24

David Fleischer
a professional user
from LA
writes:

when you consider how much the fairlight costed when it was new and compare that to the prices of the newer akais, emus and kurzweils then its no wonder that the "80s technology" sounds a lot better. With the newer samplers, corners are cut and financial decisions have to be made in what is a very price-sensitive market whereas the fairlight was a machine very much for the professional user which allowed the manuafacturers to push the machines capabilites and fidelity as far as they could possibly take it safe in the knowledge that there would always be people prepared to pay the sort of money such a machine commands.

And yes, they are great machines. I wish I still had mine.

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Thursday-Aug-09-2001 at 12:37

JZ
a professional user
from USA
writes:

Fairlight Series III is still the best sounding sampler/workstation out there! I compared its sounds with Akai S6000. Emu E4XT, Kurzweil K2600, and few others (I used the same samples to make a fair comparison) and I have to tell you, none of them could beat Farilight III for the sound quality, richness and warmth! This was just the sound I compared. I didn't even bother comparing other features, in some of which Fairlight still beats Akai, Emu or Kurzweil, even though it's the 80's technology. If you ever have a chance to buy a Serious III grab it. You will never regret your purchase. This instrument will never ever bore you, and your tracks will always sound better than those of your collegues.